Immigrant groups see hope in moves toward reform

7:35 PM,
Jan. 29, 2013

Written by

Brian Wilson
| The Tennessean

Proposed federal legislation that would provide a way for undocumented immigrants to gain citizenship is giving local immigrants and the organizations that support them hope that immigration reform could be closer to reality.

If eventually enacted into law, these groups say longtime residents of Middle Tennessee neighborhoods may eventually have an avenue to citizenship they have long desired, said Eben Cathey, the spokesman for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.

"These people have lived here for decades," Cathey said. "They are the fabric of their communities. ...